Jennies in the Polls

Central Missouri held on to their No. 5 rank from the start of the season, in the first regular season version of the AVCA Division II Coaches Top 25 Poll. The Jennies tallied a higher number of votes, improving from 642 points to 668. While the Jens moved past last week's No. 3, Cal State San Bernardino, they were also jumped by Southwest Minnesota State, who moves up to No. 3.

The Jennies are the second-highest MIAA squad in the poll, behind #2 Nebraska-Kearney, as the Lopers improved two spots from the last poll. #7 Washburn and Truman (receiving votes) also make appearances in the poll this week.

Concordia-St. Paul holds on to the top spot, earning all 32 first-places votes after going 3-0 during the opening weekend.

The Jennies are the only team in Division II to appear in the AVCA Coaches Poll every week since the poll began in 1986, making the top 25 for 331 consecutive weeks.

In the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll, UCM was ranked second, collecting 131 points and four first-place votes. The Lady Blues took the top spot, earning seven first-place votes, while MIAA newcomers Nebraska-Kearney came in third, also picking up a  pair of first-place votes.

Player of the Week

Junior setter Julia Bates was named MIAA Volleyball Specialist of the Week, after leading the Jennies to three wins last week. Bates averaged 9.44 assists per set, ranking third in the MIAA after the first week of play. She also leads the conference in total assists, tallying 170 over a league-high 18 sets played.

Against #2 Tampa, Bates recorded her first double-double of the year, with 13 digs to go along with this season's first 50-assist performance. The Leavenworth, Kan. native nearly reached the 50-plus mark in two other matches, earning 48 assists against #10 Indianapolis, and 49 against Lock Haven.

Over the weekend, Bates also averaged 1.06 kills per set, as well as 0.56 blocks per set.

Personal Best

Senior middle hitter Bradye Peniston had a strong start to the season, as the Valley Center, Kan. native averaged 3.06 kills per set while posting a team-high .370 hitting percentage that ranks 7th in the MIAA. Peniston set a new career high in the match against Lock Haven, going for 22 kills in the five-set victory. She reached double-digit kills against #10 Indianapolis as well, posting 16 kills in the season opener.

First Impressions

In her first weekend of competition as a Jennie, sophomore Aubri Renshaw made a big impact on both offense and defense. Renshaw is currently leading the team with 3.22 kills per set, and has posted a pair of double-doubles so far this year. In the sweep against West Florida, Renshaw recorded 10 kills along with 13 digs. She followed that up with a 26-kill, 11-dig performance against #2 Tampa. Her 26 kills is the highest total in a single match this year in the MIAA.

A pair of freshman have earned starting roles on the back line after the starting weekend, in defensive specialist Mikalee Monachino and libero Annie Reilly. Monachino, a redshirt freshman from Jacksonville, Fla., is averaging 2.0 digs per set after starting all four matches in Pensacola and appearing in all 18 sets this season. Against Tampa, Monachino posted a career-high 14 digs, reaching double-digits for the first time in her young career. She has also been a force on the service line, dealing out seven aces so far, most on the team.

Meanwhile, true freshman Annie Reilly won the starting libero job during the pre-season, and has also started all four matches for the Jennies this year. Reilly leads the team with an average of 4.0 digs per set, with two 20-dig performances last weekend, against #10 Indianapolis and Lock Haven. Reilly has also helped out on the offensive end, serving up five aces on the year, and recording 21 assists, second-most on the team behind Julia Bates.

Milestone Victory

After picking up three wins over the weekend, Jennies head coach Flip Piontek has tallied 99 career victories, and could reach the 100-win mark this weekend. Piontek, who was the Jennies assistant coach from 1986-2008, has earned 30 or more wins each of his first three seasons at the helm of the program. Piontek will become the fastest coach to 100 victories in Jennies volleyball history. 

Opponent Preview

#14 West Texas A&M

The Lady Buffs, who reached the semifinals of the NCAA South Central Regional a year ago, hosted the Lady Buff Classic last weekend, posting a 3-1 record. West Texas has a pair of quality hitters on the front row in Erin Dougherty and Ashley Davis. Dougherty is averaging 3.54 kills per set and a .513 hitting percentage this season, while Davis has recorded 3.38 kills per set over the team's four matches.

UCM leads the all-time series over West Texas A&M, 11-7, including a 7-6 mark against the Lady Buffs on a neutral court. The two teams last met a year ago, resulting in a 3-0 win for the Jennies at the Pittsburg State Gorilla Classic.

#10 Metro State

The Roadrunners earned a pair of impressive victories over ranked opponents while competing at the Grand Canyon Invitational in Phoenix last week. Metro State earned an upset victory over #3 Cal State San Bernardino, followed by a sweep against #17 UC-San Diego. Three Roadrunners are averaging over 2.8 kills each set, led by junior Alysa Heath, with 3.79 kills per set. Senior Amy Wong (3.29 k/s) and sophomore Lauren Quijano (2.86 k/s) are also options on offense.

The Jennies hold a 12-5 advantage in the all-time series, and are 4-0 while facing Metro State on their own court. UCM last met up with the Roadrunners in the 2005 Colorado Premier Challenge, where the Jens won in five sets.

Senior Leadership

Seniors Lisa Moore and Hillary McCormick have seen increased playing time so far this season, and have risen to the challenge. Moore, who had appeared in just 44 sets during her first three seasons with the Jennies, has started three matches and played in all 18 sets last week. The right side hitter is averaging 1.89 kills per set with a .236 hitting percentage.  Moore also has nine blocks so far this season. The Lee's Summit native posted her first two double-figure kill performances with 11 scores against #10 Indianapolis, and a career-high 13 kills in the win over Lock Haven. Her three total blocks in matches against both Indianapolis and #2 Tampa are also career highs.

McCormick has also made an impact on the offense, averaging 1.67 kills per set. Her .303 hitting percentage is second-highest on the team. McCormick set a career-high with 12 kills in the loss to Tampa, and reached the 10-kill mark for the first time as a Jennie when she recorded 11 against Indianapolis. The transfer from Division I Arkansas is leading the team in blocks per set, at 1.11, and ranks 7th in the MIAA.

Academic Honors

For the 2011-12 school year, 16 of the 19 Jennies volleyball players were placed on the MIAA Academic Honor Roll, accounting for 84% of the total roster. Five Jennies, including returners Julia Bates and Bradye Peniston, were honored as MIAA Scholar-Athletes. The award is given to all student-athletes who are named to their respective All-MIAA Teams while maintaining at least a 3.3 cumulative GPA. Additionally, senior hitter Hillary McCormick earned the MIAA Academic Excellence Award, given to student-athletes who maintain a 4.0 cumulative GPA. 

To top it all off, the Central Missouri volleyball program was awarded the AVCA Team Academic Award for their work in the classroom. The Jennies are one of only 69 programs in Division II to earn the award, making up less than 13% of Division II programs nationwide. It marks the ninth consecutive year the Jens have claimed the honor, which is earned by maintaining a 3.3 cumulative GPA throughout the entire team.

Jennies on the Air

Central Missouri volleyball can be caught online at www.AmericaOne.com. All home matches as well as select road contests, including matches this weekend, will be availiable.

Fans can catch highlights each week on Central Missouri Sportspage, Thursday nights at 7 p.m., and Saturdays at 5 p.m. on KMOS-TV. Shawn Jones will sit down with Coach Piontek throughout the season to discuss the latest match, as various Jennies will be featured throughout the year.

Jennies fans can also tune in to 98.5 “The Bar” and 1450 KOKO each Tuesday morning at 9:30 a.m. for Central Missouri Sports Talk, with Greg Hassler and Bill Turnage. The pair will talk UCM athletics, as well as other hot topics in the sports world. Jennies coaches and players will drop in throughout the season as well.

Junior Duo

Juniors Taylor Goodness and Jamie Haworth each had solid performances over the first week of the season in their respective roles. Goodness averaged 2.33 kills per set over her first four matches, the third-highest average on the team, while posting a .156 hitting percentage. The outside hitter recorded a season-high 14 kills in the win over #10 Indianapolis, as well as 10 kills in the loss to #2 Tampa.

Haworth is one of the team leaders in digs, averaging 2.39 per set. The defensive specialist had the highest digs average among returners, and has already recorded double-figure digs in three matches. Against both West Florida and Tampa, the Rogers, Ark. native earned 13 digs, after collecting 11 digs against Indianapolis.

Jennies at the Premier Challenge

Central Missouri has had previous success at the Colorado Premier Challenge, as they make their 15th apperance at what is arguably the most competitive Division II volleyball tournament in the nation. The Jennies won the 1996 Premier Challenge after going 4-0 with wins over North Dakota State, Regis, Ferris State, and Metro State. Jennies' All-Americans Sarah Dallas and Chris Kalehuawehe were named to the All-Tournament Team.

Overall, UCM has a 36-20 record at the Premier Challenge, and has the most tournaments of any school, including hosts Metro State and Regis. The Jens have claimed the title once, placed second twice, third three times, and have had 13 players named to the All-Tournament Team.